Good News for a Change: "Thai Arborists" to Take Care of Big Trees in City Areas

The year 2019 can be considered the "Year of Thai Arborists" because arborists have become more well known among the public and various agencies, especially during the tree collapse incidents which have been causing damages to houses, property and lives, making people aware of this profession.  Arboriculture training has now become a part of the policy to increase green spaces in the cities.

Professional arborists are the answer to proper tree management.  They are able to take care of big trees in several ways: pruning, treating sick trees which may collapse, choosing proper tree types for specific areas, and managing green areas to suit the surrounding environment.  It is a profession that is necessary particularly when environmental protection is a trend. Therefore, it is crucial that we not only increase green spaces, but take care of them properly to ensure safety of the trees and people living near them.

In the past, arborist work was not very well known, but 2019 can be called the year that arboriculture or professional arborists because there has been a big leap in this career. 

In terms of the market, when a tree collapses, many people think about arborists, knowing that they can deal with this kind of situation.  In addition, in terms of cooperation from various sectors, they start to realize that arboriculture should be a part of their policies to increase green areas in the cities.

"Thai Arborists" Calendar and the Role of Tree Management

January - February: Thai Arboriculture Association and officials at Than Bok Khorani National Park, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province collaborated in restoring large trees damaged by the tropical storm, Pabuk, and prevented future collapsing.  The operation involved taking care of the root system, pruning the canopies, and treating injures caused by broken branches, decay, and termites.

March:  Ministry of Defense, BMA (Department of Public Parks, Department of Public Works, Phra Nakhon District Office), Thailand Urban Tree Network and the cooperative network led a team of arborists from both public and private sectors to prune big trees in the area where there would be the coronation ceremony of King Vajiralongkorn and began to restore old Takhian trees believed to be planted since the reign of King Rama I in the Ministry of Defense, Rattanakosin Island.

June: The Prime Minister visited the Takhian trees and approved the restoration of these trees in Rattanakosin Island. Therefore, modern equipment like air spades were used to improve the condition of the deteriorated soil.  Air spades help till the soil without affecting the roots of trees.  In addition, the sidewalks in the area were improved so that they would be suitable for long-term maintenance of the Takhian trees.

August: Department of Public Parks, BMA, Thailand Urban Tree Network, Big Trees and their partners took an educational trip to Singapore to learn about urban tree management: conservation of rare plants, measures to promote tree planting, roadside tree management and building parks that preserve the ecosystem.  The Deputy Permanent Secretary for BMA stated that various approaches would be adopted to promote green areas in Bangkok.